


distance makes the heart grow fonder

by falloutmars



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: ((except for those two eps cough cough)), Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, bughead missing each other at college, long distance bc college, soft soft soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:48:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24757273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falloutmars/pseuds/falloutmars
Summary: With colleges hours apart, Betty finds herself missing Jughead, so she gives him a call.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 21
Kudos: 51
Collections: 7th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	distance makes the heart grow fonder

**Author's Note:**

> just a little something to help you get through these times

Betty misses Riverdale. 

Yeah, she’s actually reached the point where she misses her godforsaken home town. It only took a few months of being in Connecticut for this to happen. 

But… if she’s being honest with herself, it’s not the town itself she misses, and it’s not Connecticut she doesn’t like.

College is good. Yale is good. She still feels like she doesn’t fully deserve to be here, and she still feels bad that Jughead didn’t get to join her – even though he’s told her many, _many_ times that it is not her fault. But it’s _good_.

What’s not so good is being away from Jughead. 

So, yeah, she misses Riverdale, but only because Riverdale means being close to Jughead. And god, life is hard without him by her side.

With the risk of sounding dramatic, she sometimes feels like half of her has been ripped away. Which, yeah, _is_ dramatic and over the top and all that goes with it, but she got so used to navigating up and down the hills of life with him it feels true. Of course, he _is_ still by her side. They’re still partners, a couple, together, even _endgame_ according to Cheryl (which never fails to make Betty grin and blush), it’s just… they’re now over a thousand miles apart. A 16-hour drive, a 4-to-5-hour flight _plus_ driving time, or a possibility of an 8-hour drive to somewhere in the state of Ohio. 

In conclusion, too fucking far. 

Since they moved to opposite ends of the universe in late August, Betty has seen Jughead exactly once. They both made it home for Thanksgiving but had to trek back for those last few days of classes and quizzes before winter break started in mid-December. 

Seeing him was incredible, of course it was, but she thinks in a way, it’s made it even harder to be away from him again. 

They made excellent use of their 3 days together, and much to the surprise of both of them, neither FP nor Alice said anything about the lack of… family time they engaged in. 

Thinking back, Thanksgiving dinner was the only time they _didn’t_ spend in their room.

Oops.

No doubt they’ll have to make up for it during winter break.

But now, she’s stuck in her (thankfully) single dorm room at Yale, instead of cuddled up with her boyfriend in their bed in Riverdale like they were just a few days ago. And she really fucking misses him.

She’s _meant_ to be studying. She knows he is, too. But the words of her intro to psych textbook are melting off the page instead of going into her brain and it’s really frustrating. And when she’s frustrated (in… different forms), she ends up thinking about Jughead.

With a sigh that echoes slightly in her moderately empty room, she throws the expensive textbook on the floor. It lands with a satisfying thud, and she can’t help but grin at the noise. 

She grabs her phone out of her _I’m trying to not be distracted by the wonder that is the internet_ hiding place and flops down onto her bed, immediately dialing Jughead’s number.

He picks up after 3 rings. 

“Hey, Betts.”

She can hear the smile in his voice, which only serves to make hers bigger.

“Hey, sorry to bother you.”

He lets out a breathy laugh. “Yeah, how dare you interrupt my valuable studying time?” His voice is sarcastic and an eye roll almost audible. And then, softer, “I’m happy to hear your voice.”

“Me too, Jug.” And she means it. His voice is always a comfort to her when things get tough or if she just wants to be reminded that someone cares. He cares. He cares more than anyone else. 

“Are you okay?” 

She can imagine his tiny head tilt when he asks that. If he doesn’t have his beanie on, his hair will flop to the side. The image makes her smile and leaves her with a longing in her heart. 

“Yeah,” she answers. Part of her feels like she’s lying because the way she wishes she could be with him, _near_ him, hurts like hell and leaves her with a stinging feeling. But on the other hand, she is _okay_. She tells him as much. “I just miss you, that’s all.”

“I miss you, too,” he hums. 

She detects the same sort of sad-but- _okay_ -ness in his voice, so she’s sure he fully understands the reasoning behind this middle of the day, impromptu phone call. They’re always so in tune with one another, undeniably two halves of the same whole. 

(The thought makes her smile.)

“Hey, uh,” he says, interrupting her thoughts of _him_ , “I was thinking about New Year’s.” Rolling over onto her side, she smirks to herself. “Were you now?”

He chuckles. “I know exactly what you’re insinuating, Betty.”

“ _Good_.”

“And _yes_ , actually. You’re right.”

Huh. Interesting. 

“Usually am,” she quips back.

He scoffs jokingly. “‘Course you are.”

Gasping in faux shock, she can’t stop the giggle that comes out. She missed this kind of flirty banter between them. She’s glad she phoned him because this is exactly what she needed.

“But anyway,” he continues, “I guess Veronica and Archie will want to meet up, right?”

Surprisingly enough, Betty actually hadn’t heard anything about New Year’s Eve from Veronica. Usually, she’d have at least some idea of what extravagant plans her best friend had made by this point, but apparently not this year. Maybe the Lodge’s have something on instead.

She tells Jughead this. “Why?”

“ _Because_ , baby,” he says, lowering his voice, “I was thinking we could do something. _Alone_. A night away, uninterrupted time, that kind of thing.”

Well fuck. 

“I’ll have to check my extensive diary,” she teases, trying to hide how much she’s really up for that. She gives up almost immediately. “I’d love to, Jug.”

“Good.”

She laughs. “Good?”

“Uh huh. I’ll get something booked.”

_Can’t wait_ , she thinks, allowing her mind to fill with the things she wants to do when they’re there. _The perfect stress reliever._

“I love you, Jug,” she tells him, a blush covering her face even though he can’t see her nor read her mind.

“I love you, too, Betts,” he replies. “But, uh, do you think you could _really_ convince me that a night away would be worth it?”

The grin is evident in his voice and he is _not_ smooth at all, but Betty thinks _fuck, maybe a mind reader then_ , before replying with, “Oh yeah I can.”

**Author's Note:**

> hello! how did you like it? i really hope you enjoyed it! i hope you're doing okay during what is still strange times. 
> 
> this is just a little something i wrote in a short time because i was missing bughead. i do have multiple other longer pieces under construction atm, but i am Terrible at titling things so,,, maybe you'll get to read them eventually. (don't worry, you will. i'm just currently unsure when :D)
> 
> anyway, i hope everyone is okay as can be. remember to look after yourself and one another. 
> 
> thank you for reading. i appreciate all kudos and comments endlessly <3
> 
> until next time...


End file.
